Febbuahy 6, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



INDOOR SUMMER CULTURE. 



[A paper by E. A. Harvey, of Brandywine 

 Summit, Pa., read before the Florists' Club of 

 Philadelphia, February 4.] 



There is probably no cut flower of 

 which the methods of culture have 

 changed more in the last six or seven 

 years than is the case with the carna- 

 tion. When we began growing carna- 

 tions, six years ago, we benched 

 from the field about the middle of Sep- 

 tember, as this was the universal custom 

 among Chester county carnation grow- 

 ers, and generally so throughout the 

 United States, although some of the 

 large growers around New York were 

 practicing early planting. Now from 

 the middle of July to the middle of 

 August is generally conceded to be the 

 proper time to house from the field. 



The next development would naturally 

 be indoor culture exclusively. To the 

 writer's knowledge, the first grower who 

 practiced this method to any extent was 

 Charles W. Ward, of Queens, L. I., 

 who has always been a leader in the 

 development of the divine flower. I well 

 remember seeing in 1903, at Mr. Ward's 

 range, a house of Enchantress that had 

 been grown inside over summer and I 

 was struck with amazement at their mag- 

 nificence. I do not think that I have 

 ever seen them surpassed by any variety. 



Potting and Benching. 



To succeed with indoor culture, strong, 

 healthy cuttings should be put in the 

 sand not later than February 1; those 

 potted up before February 15 are pref- 

 erable. We first use 2-inch pots, and 

 when these are well filled with roots, 

 plant in a bench four inches apart each 

 way. Some growers again repot to 3- 

 inch or 4-inch pots and hold them in 

 these until they are finally planted in 

 the benches. When many plants are 

 grown this method makes a great deal 

 of work in watering, as the pots dry 

 out very rapidly when hot weather comes, 

 and the young plants are also liable 

 to become potbound before the benches 

 are ready for them. When their growth 

 is once stunted they are practically use- 

 less. At each transplanting all the weak 

 plants should be set aside. A weak 

 cutting may recover in the field, but 

 will never pay for itself grown inside. 



As soon after Decoration day as pos- 

 sible the old plants should be thrown 

 out, the houses refilled with a good, rich 

 compost and the young plants put in 

 their final place. 



Care must be taken with the watering. 

 There is not much danger of overwater- 

 ing in summer. The benches should 

 'lot be allowed to become soggy, but 



there is greater danger in allowing the 

 soil to get too dry. As soon as it be- 

 gins to appear a light color on top it 

 should be wet thoroughly; otherwise the 

 plants will become hard and woody, and 

 will not break freely. Although shading 

 is generally objected to, we believe a 

 light shade is beneficial. We put a 

 thin coat of whiting on every other row 

 of glass about the first of July, and 

 remove it early in September. This aids 

 materially in keeping down the tempera- 

 ture and does not cause a weak growth 

 unless the plants are overwatered. 



Ventilating and Spraying. 



Full ventilation should be given both 

 day and night, except when a strong, 

 dry wind is blowing immediately on the 

 plants, which dries out very rapidly 

 both plants and soil, and is very likely 

 to bring on an attack of red spider. 



This insect is about the only one 

 that will cause trouble in the summer, 

 and a thorough spraying with cold water 

 twice a week will, we have found, keep 

 down this pest. Should it appear, how- 

 ever, the plants should be sprayed every 

 day until they are clear, as the spider 

 will cause a great deal of damage in 

 a verj' short time, from which it will 

 tdke a long time for the plants to re- 

 cover. 



The same carg should be taken in 

 pinching as in the field. Do not break 

 back too high, as this will cause a top- 

 heavy growth, and the plants will be 

 broken up by the spraying. As soon 

 as the shoots begin to elongate and 

 show the stem between the leaves, the 

 top should be taken out, leaving three 

 or four joints. Do not leave the plants 

 two or three weeks and then break off 

 all the shoots at once, but go over them 

 every week, topping all the longest ones. 

 This will make a more even growth and 

 lessen the tendency toward cropping. 



Keeping the Soil in Condition. 



The benches should be frequently cul- 

 tivated during the summer, both to keep 

 down the weeds and to prevent the sur- 

 face of the soil from becoming hard and 

 baked. If the soil was well fertilized 

 with cow manure and bone meal before 

 it was put in the benches, no feeding 

 will be necessary during the summer. 

 Through the fall we use top dressings of 

 bone meal and sheep manure every two 

 or three weeks, omitting all feeding 

 through December. In January, when 

 the days become longer and we get 

 more sunshine, we use a stronger and 

 quicker acting commercial fertilizer. 

 Feeding with liquid manure would doubt- 



less be beneficial, but we have never used 

 this method. 



If by the first of July the plants 

 in the houses are as large as those in 

 the field, you may consider that you 

 have been successful, for, although 

 through July and August the field plants 

 will make faster growth than the indoor 

 stock, these will catch up later. There 

 is always some check upon plants benched 

 from the field, and often it is very se- 

 vere, if the conditions are not right. 

 This is especially the case in a wet 

 season. 



Advantages of Indoor Culture. 



One of the greatest advantages of 

 indoor culture is the fact that we have 

 control of the watering, and this is es- 

 pecially important since stem-rot has 

 made its appearance. How often does 

 it happen that half of the plants die 

 in the field, and again half of the re- 

 maining ones die after they have been 

 planted in the houses, and it is nearly 

 spring before we begin to cut good flow- 

 ers! With proper indoor culture the 

 ravages of the dreaded stem-rot are re- 

 duced to a minimum. 



.\nother advantage of this method is 

 tliat large flowers with long stems can 

 bo cut early in the fall, when they 

 briiifT good prices and when none of the 

 profits go into coal bills. A steadier cut 

 is also assured through the winter, and 

 there is less danger of getting the heav- 

 iest crop when prices are low. 



Some varieties are undoubtedly better 

 suite<l to indoor growing than others. 

 As a rule, the broad foliaged, strong 

 growing kinds are best adapted to it. 

 xMrs. Lawson and Winsor are notable ex- 

 amples; in fact, we would not attempt 

 to grow them any other way. 



A Common Objection. 



The greatest objection offered to in- 

 door culture is the fact that the June 

 cut is lost. However, at this time car- 

 nations bring very low prices and, after 

 all, the problem is how to make each 

 square foot of bench surface produce 

 the most money. If we can make the 

 returns through the fall and winter more 

 than cover the loss during the summer 

 by indoor culture, we are foolish not 

 to adopt it. 



It is not urged that this method is an 

 easy way to success in carnation growing. 

 It certainly will not help that grower 

 who is used to letting the plants take care 

 of themselves. A little neglect is far 

 more disastrous to indoor stock than to 

 plants in the field. 



I should not advise anyone to change 

 his whole plant immediately from one 



